National Grid Wireless

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National Grid Wireless (formerly Crown Castle UK) is a company which provides telecommunications infrastructure and broadcast transmission facilities in the UK. Its main customers are broadcasters and mobile phone network operators, and its main asset is a network of over 1,000 radio and television transmission sites. It is owned by the Australian investment house Macquarie Bank ^[1], which also owns former competing broadcast company, Arqiva.

Contents 1 History 2 Notable National Grid Wireless transmitter sites 3 See also 4 External links 5 References

[edit] History

Crown Castle UK was formed from the domestic transmitter network of the BBC, which was privatised in 1997.

It was a subsidiary of Crown Castle, but since 31 August 2004 it was owned by National Grid plc. On 11 October 2005 the company was renamed National Grid Wireless.

On 3 April 2007 National Grid Wireless was acquired by Arqiva for £2.5 billion ^[2].

National Grid Wireless led a consortium bidding for the second UK national DAB multiplex licence, but was unsuccessful. The licence was awarded instead to 4 Digital Group in July 2007.^[3]

[edit] Notable National Grid Wireless transmitter sites

Alexandra Palace Ashkirk ( 55°30′39″N, 2°50′26″W) Bilsdale West Moor Blaenplwyf ( 52°21′38″N, 4°6′10″W) Bluebell Hill ( 51°19′27″N, 0°31′14″E) Bressay Brookmans Park Brougher Mountain ( 54°25′24″N, 7°27′45″W) Burghead Carmel ( 51°49′6.5″N, 4°3′58″W) Clevedon ( 51°25′24″N, 2°51′52″W) Crystal Palace Daventry Divis Douglas ( 54°8′26″N, 4°29′35″W) Droitwich Eitshal ( 58°10′45″N, 6°35′6″W) Forfar ( 56°33′27″N, 2°50′37″W) Fort William ( 56°50′54″N, 5°5′19″W) Hannington ( 51°18′28.5″N, 1°14′41″W) Haverfordwest

Heathfield Holme Moss Keelylang Hill ( 58°58′31″N, 3°5′2″W) Kilvey Hill Kirk o'Shotts Les Platons ( 49°14′46″N, 2°6′5″W) Limavady ( 55°6′33″N, 6°53′11″W) Lisnagarvey Llanddona Llangollen ( 53°1′52″N, 3°10′50″W) Londonderry ( 55°0′15″N, 7°22′8″W) Manningtree ( 51°55′26″N, 1°5′10″E) Meldrum ( 57°23′13″N, 2°24′0″W) Melvaig Mendip Midhurst ( 51°1′1″N, 0°42′3″W) Moorside Edge North Hessary Tor Oban ( 56°24′15″N, 5°29′9″W) Oxford Peterborough

Pontop Pike Redruth Rosemarkie ( 57°38′0″N, 4°4′31″W) Rowridge Sandale Skriaig ( 57°23′12″N, 6°14′33″W) Stagshaw ( 55°1′58″N, 2°1′23″W) Start Point Sudbury Sutton Coldfield Swingate Tacolneston Tapton Hill/Sheffield (Crosspool) Thrumster ( 58°23′38″N, 3°7′28″W) Torosay ( 56°27′30″N, 5°43′46″W) Waltham Washford ( 51°9′41″N, 3°20′53″W) Wenvoe Westerglen The Wrekin Wrotham

[edit] See also

• Arqiva (National Grid Wireless' former competitor, formerly known as NTL Broadcast)
• Freeview
• VT Communications (Formerly Merlin Communications, formed from privatisation of BBC World Service transmitter sites.)
• RTÉ Network Limited in the Republic of Ireland

[edit] External links

• National Grid Wireless
  • UK site
  • USA site

[edit] References

• Pawley, Edward (1972). BBC Engineering 1922-1972. London, BBC. ISBN 0-563-12127-0
• Shacklady, Norman and Ellen, Martin (2003). On Air: A History of BBC Transmission. Wavechange Books. ISBN 0-9544077-1-7 (paperback) ISBN 0-9544077-0-9 (hardback).